Lines of Love
by nattylovesjordy
Summary: [Lizzie Bennet Diaries] Short introspective drabble/ficlets about Darcy and Lizzie's relationship inspired by quotes from other works of literature.


_**Author's Note:** At the beginning of each section I have an "Episode Correspondence" note. This isn't entirely relevant, but sometimes I feel like when I read these types of fics I like to know what each part is supposed to relate to. So, if you're curious, that's what I had in mind. If you find it annoying, I apologize, please skip the annoying, tone-and-flow-breaking "Episode Correspondence" at the start of each section._

_As for the idea behind this story... In short, I stumbled upon a list of my favorite literary quotes from books I've read and found myself overwhelmed with inspiration from a few. (I have not had the pleasure of reading Vonnegut, though. That was a quote I searched for.) There are other quotes, I'm sure, that would produce something similar, and if you send me a quote, and it strikes a chord, I might continue this. Also, fun fact, I tend prefer British Literature, which is not something you would think from this story._

_Thanks for reading, and enjoy!_

* * *

**Lines of Love**

_"Words! Mere words! How terrible they were! How clear, and vivid, and cruel! One could not escape from them. And yet what a subtle magic there was in them! They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things, and to have a music of their own as sweet as that of viol or of lute. Mere words! Was there anything so real as words?"_

_— Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray_

* * *

_"It is awfully easy to be hard-boiled about everything in the daytime, but at night it is another thing."_  
_— Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises_  
_Episode Correspondence: This was written before the airing of Episode 95. Therefore, I'd like to say this fits somewhere between Episode 84-94._

_-x-_

In the light of day, everything is easy. Or, well, easi_er_. During the day, Lizzie can distract herself with helping her hurt sister heal, can studiously continue working on her thesis, and find a number of other distractions to keep her from delving into the recesses of her thoughts. When her sisters, friends, or summer acquaintances ask about _him_ she can brusquely brush off the conversation, stoically ignore the inquiries and accompanying implications. The line is visible during the day, and Lizzie can clearly see how far she can toe the boundary without fully submersing herself in reflection.

But at night she is forced to face her thoughts, to acknowledge her feelings. In the darkness, amidst the absence of light, Lizzie can no longer see the soft outline of the line; the stars fail to shine bright enough and the moon stays hidden behind a veil of fog. With the setting of the sun she can no longer successfully escape, no longer avoid confronting her emotions budding truths.

In the middle of the night as she lays in her bed, staring at the ceiling, her mask crumbles…

And so does she.

* * *

_"In order to move others deeply we must deliberately allow ourselves to be carried away beyond the bounds of our normal sensibility."_  
_— Joseph Conrad (Author of Heart of Darkness and Lord Jim)_  
_Episode Correspondence: Either Episode 80 or 83—you decide which you think fits best (I think 83)._

_-x-_

William Darcy is no man of impulse. Rather, William Darcy choses to gather any and all information, to explore all avenues of thought and every realm of possibility. Unlike his sister, Darcy lacks a spontaneous spirit and exemplifies a calculating character. The Darcy siblings balance each other out—she forces him to "go with the flow," though he can only do so mildly, and he occasionally makes sure she has truly thought things through, which she already often does without his brotherly assistance—but, for as much as he truly loves his sister, he rarely acts completely freely and whimsically with her.

Nor is William Darcy synonymous with the word "silly." Fitz has no issue putting everything out there and making a fool of himself (tastefully, of course). Unlike his friend, Darcy cannot waltz on a stage and sing an embarrassing, tipsy rendition of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" at a karaoke bar. Darcy struggles to throw caution to the wind with those he is comfortable with, let alone those he has never met before.

But, Lizzie Bennet sparked something inside of him he never knew existed, brought illumination to a once unlit cavern of himself that only she knew how to access. Acting with impulse, willing to make a fool of himself and act in a silly fashion, William Darcy agreed to do costume theater, and all it took was the force of love to be drawn from his rigid sensibility and overpowering rationality.

Love, and Lizzie.

* * *

_"'What are words__—_but words? The glance of her heavenly eyes say more than any tongue.'"  
_— E.T.A. Hoffman, "The Sandman"_  
_Episode Correspondence: This is intended to be canon for everything up until after Episode 95. From there, I insert an unseen scene that is unlikely to be canon (especially since Episode 97 cannonballs it)._

_-x-_

When they danced at the Gibson wedding her eyes appeared to shine under the lights of the dance floor.

At the bar the alcohol seemed to enliven her gaze with a spark of raw energy.

During her stay at Netherfield her eyes always brightened, became clearer than ever, almost determined-looking, during their heated discussions.

In her videos, whenever she appears excited about something, her irises grow wide and the flakes of color are highlighted. Conversely, when upset or concerned, her eyes fall dull but still keep their beauty intact.

As she looks at him from across the room, once he finally meets her stare after an absence of weeks and after avoiding her as he addressed the rest of her family, he knows—she's thankful, she's happy, hopeful, and transformed in her feelings towards him.

Her eyes have always spoken before she could find the words, whether she knew it or not.

* * *

_"It is just an illusion here on Earth that one moment follows another one, like beads on a string, and that once a moment is gone, it is gone forever."_  
_— Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five  
Episode Correspondence: Set sometime after Episode 91 and the "What if we missed our chance?" line of thought. (Direct quotes from that episode do not belong to me, nor do I make any claim of owning them)._

_-x-_

_What if. _Everyone asks it.

_What if_ things had been different. If instead of judging him based on one night she gave him a chance. If she hadn't publically bashed his character for countless people to see. If she had shared less about her experiences with him.

_What if _the timing hadn't been so bad. If he hadn't mistaken their arguments as competitive banter or intellectual stimulant of a mutual affection. If he hadn't made the hasty assumption that she must feel as strongly about him as he does her. If he had said things right.

_What if _they moved on. If, now that she was gone, he was able to put his previous feelings for her behind him. If his silence was a sign.

_What if _they missed their chance. If she had realized her prejudice earlier on. If she had realized that she was so very wrong about his character.

_What if_ he felt the same way as he did before, and as she does now. _What if _they _haven't_ missed their chance, that life is full of chances rather than individual moments.

_What if? _

…

* * *

_"The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one."_  
_— J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye  
Episode Correspondence: No real episode but rather based on the fact that Darcy did not appraise Lizzie of what he did for her and her family. Therefore this is technically canon up until Episode 95._

_-x-_

Darcy never intended for Lizzie to find out his role in covering up the Wickham scandal. Of course a small part of his mind thought Lydia would eventually lose her ability to keep quiet, or that Gigi would meddle in their affairs once more, but Darcy chose to believe he could act as a silent savior. Wickham might purposefully enter a hopeless fight and offer a long soliloquy of "love" worth dying for to save someone, but Darcy prefers to quietly show his devotion. After all, while the immature, attention-seeking man tries to gallantly ride in on his white steed and theatrically save the damsel in distress, the humble hero chooses not tell the woman he loves what he has done for her, but rather remains in the shadows, waiting for her in the wings.


End file.
